A Non-Believer's Story
by Camoon
Summary: This is a story spurred from the Left Behind series but has absolutely no ties to it. It tells of a non-believer surrounded by family who does believe. She wants to become a believer in God but something is holding her back...This is the first chapter o
1. Chapter 1

  
  
  
The family sat nervously by the fireplace in the middle of the parlor, their excited conversation dying down as Renee began to search for the wine. She felt uncomfortable and nervous, and those feelings definatly called for alcohol. The rest of the family appeared to be impatient, eager to move on in their discussion of the end times.  
  
The end times? Never before had she actually had such a casual discussion about it! There she was, in the parlor of Jeff, her fiancee's aunt's house, listening to the group talk about the coming of Christ and what it meant for them, the true believers. They had been talking like the end was coming tomorrow, as if the whole world was going to come down on the unsuspecting shoulders of the non-believers.   
  
But what was a non-believer? Renee reached with a trembling hand for the white wine that sat on the countertop. She was a good person, and she knew it. Honesty and kindness had always been her most prided characteristics. But, as Jeff's aunt had pointed out, just being a good person wasn't going to be enough when the time came. You either believed, or you didn't. Now, as Renee returned to the cozy looking parlor she was almost repelled by the sight of Jeff's other aunt holding a bible, scanning through to find one passage or another. A non-believer, she assumed, was somebody who simply didn't believe in Christ, someone who would not accept the bizarre prophesies written in the bible. Well, if that was a non-believer, Renee supposed she filled the bill.   
  
She turned away slowly, a shiver running up her spine. Her tanned skin seemed to glow orange by the light of the fireplace, and her fiancee beckoned for her to sit down next to him. He was, she knew, the only other person in the room who did not share the rest of the family's view of God and the coming of Christ. As she sat down next to him, she felt protected and safe, and exhaled a sigh of relief.  
  
She could sense that everyone was looking at her. Sharon and Sue, Jeff's aunts, sat opposite each other in deep green, antique rocking chairs while Sharon's husband, Phil, sat with his arm around his son's shoulder. Sue's husband (Gary) and her son (Mark) sat side by side on the couch, gazing into the warm flames of the fireplace.   
  
Renee fought to cover the nervousness that she was sure was showing on her face. She grinned at Sue, reaching over and pinching her arm playfully. Renee thought about how Sue, Sharon, and herself had instantly hit it off, and how the entire family had become so close. They had little "parties" on Saturday nights and stayed up late, playing Ping-Pong or watching movies. Mark and Jake, cousins who got along better than brothers, were generally treated as adults and often spent the night at Renee and Jeff's apartment in the crowded city. How, after they had seemed so close and alike, could they have such different views on the bible and on Christ himself? Although, she thought, they didn't really have opposite views. In fact, she didn't really have a view, and she hoped to gain one by listening to the deep, serious conversation about Christ and his promises.  
  
Sharon looked at her and laughed. "So, does it make sense to you?" she asked, reaching for the salsa and tortilla chips.   
  
"Yes, but the whole thing has me a little nervous, you know? I have this little knot in my stomach, and, see, look at the goosebumps on my arms!" Renee replied, rolling up her shirtsleeve to reveal a million goosebumps resting on her tanned, usually smooth skin.  
  
Sue laughed, rubbing Renee's arm playfully. "There's nothing to be nervous about, but you have to learn about this and get comfortable with it. You never know when it's going to happen, but we think that it's coming soon."  
  
"It's not that I don't want to hear it, but the idea of the end of the world and all of that stuff is freaking me out. I love to talk about it, because I don't want to be clue less when it happens," Renee said, feeling more relaxed.  
  
As the muted television. flashed the advertisement for the 11:00 evening news, Jeff stood up, stretched, and looked around. "Ready?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess so, we have to go to work early tomorrow," Renee said, noticing how restless her boyfriend had become. She was sure that while she had paid too much attention to the whole conversation tonight, Jeff had wandered off, in his mind, to the world of motorcycles, computers, and Nintendo that he always seemed to be in. Renee got up, made a circle around the room to kiss everyone on the cheek, and followed Jeff to the basement of the house. They called out goodbye to Sue and Gary's nine and six year old girls and Jeff scooped up Sharon's eleven year old son and held him up-side-down, laughing.   
  
They walked out to the car, cell phones in hand, and got in, hiding from the cold night air.   
  
"So what do you think?" Renee asked, casually turning on the radio as Jeff turned on the heat.  
  
"I'm glad we can all talk about God like that. I don't know if I believe it, but it's cool to be able to imagine the whole thing. I'd like to hear more about it one time," Jeff replied as he changed the radio from a pop station to a rap one.  
  
Renee was taken by surprise at Jeff's seemingly genuine interest. Minutes before she had thought that he could care less about the bible, the conversation, and God altogether, but now it was clear that they were both on the same boat: non-believers with an interest in becoming one.   
  
As lyrics to a rap song boomed from the speakers of the Mercury Mountaineer, Renee imagined that the great earthquake predicted in the bible was beginning. She forced herself out of the dream and shivered, reaching to answer the chirping cellular phone vibrating on the dash board.   
  



	2. Chapter 2

  
  
That night she couldn't sleep. Thoughts of the little family discussion had her tossing  
and turning late into the night...in fact, the last thing she remembered seeing before her  
eyes closed was the thick red 4:35 A.M. displayed on her alarm clock.   
  
The next morning Renee woke to hear Jeff humming. Her head ached and her sinuses  
cried out for medication; she thought that Afrin or Nasonex would feel wonderful. She  
turned once again to the alarm clock, and was surprised to see that it was close to twelve  
in the afternoon. Disgusted that she had slept so late and was due to work in about two  
hours, she wandered into the kitchen, where her dog looked at her expectedly.  
  
She hurriedly poured Iams kibble into the blue bowl on the floor and shuffled over to  
where her fiancee was standing, cooking what appeared to be...actually, she didn't know  
what it appeared to be. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed, taking the spatula  
from his hand and kissing his neck.   
  
Renee reached for the Nasonex and sniffled it into her nose, annoyed to see the pile of  
dirty laundry by the doorstep, beckoning to her to wash, dry, and fold them before she  
punched in at work at 1:00 that afternoon. As she started the shower, she heard Jeff  
emptying his creation (what he had hoped to be breakfast) into the trash.  
  
* * *  
  
After drinking the last of the French vanilla coffee from the Styrofoam cup, Renee  
walked into work, showed her identification badge, and walked swiftly up the three  
flights of stairs to where her cubicle was located. Several of her co.-workers were  
already there, gossiping or sharing donuts and the like. Margaret, the dark haired,  
mysterious woman who seemed obsessed with the Bible, dragons, witches, and magic all  
at the same time, sat alone in a corner, eating a glazed donut silently.  
  
Hey Margo, Renee said, leaning against the windowsill and peering at the woman.  
  
What's up? Actually, I'm not in the mood. Go away, Margaret replied, in her quiet,  
flat voice.  
  
Bitchy. Hangover, or what? Renee said, turning away and walking to where her friend,  
Kyle sat, looking at a poster of Ricky Martin.  
  
Renee, look at his butt and tell me it isn't W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L, Kyle swooned,  
pointing at the picture posted above his computer.  
  
Kyle, why do you have to be so G-A-Y? Renee laughed, massaging her friend's  
shoulder. The guy was nice, so what if he was gay? It was this kind of thing that had  
Renee worried. If being a nice, not prejudiced, caring person wasn't enough to get into  
heaven and avoid the Tribulation predicted in the Bible, how would she ever escape the  
wrath of the Lamb?  
  
Renee looked at the clock, noticing that her shift was about to start. Sitting at the  
computer once more, she logged in, put on a pair of headphones, and answered the first  
incoming call.   
  
Good morning, this is Renee, how may I direct your call?  
  
  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED..... 


End file.
